Overgrowth
Overgrowth ''is the eighteenth episode of the first season of the Kanto segment of To Be The Best. Plot It’s sunrise at the Diglett Cave campsite. It’s quiet and still, save a few Spearow in the distance. Declan quietly exits his tent, shirtless with black shorts on. Pikachu follows him, and Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander follow suit. They each carry a candle. They sneak across the campsite until they reach an open field. Declan and the pokemon each set their candles in a large circle, and Charmander walks around, lighting them with his tail. Declan, quietly: Alright, guys, that’s good. His pokemon nod and sit in a circle around the candles, which all have an intricate painting of Zapdos. Declan joins them, and they all close their eyes. Declan: O Great Zapdos, Guardian of the East, Stormbringer, hear our call. Squirtle, solemnly: Squirtle. Pikachu: Pika. Bulbasaur: Bulba. Charmander: Charman. Declan begins to chant an intricate prayer, spoken in an ancient language. Sporadically throughout, his pokemon “speak”, adding onto the prayer. Declan: In the name of Arceus, Amen. Declan’s pokemon each vocalize in agreement, and the group slowly gets up. Declan stretches as Charmander begins putting out the candle flames. Unbeknownst to them, Leaf watched the entire prayer. She approaches them from the edge of the field. Leaf: What was that all about? Declan cocks his head curiously. Declan: Haven’t you heard? Zapdos is back in Sevii again. Came in from Oblivia last week. It’s due to start roaming Kanto soon. Leaf: Already? Declan: It’s summer, isn’t it? Leaf: I guess, but… (Rolls her eyes) it doesn’t matter anyway. Prayer doesn’t do anything. Declan, taken aback: What do you mean? Leaf: It’s not like the Stormbringers are gods or anything. Not like Arceus or Mew. Declan is obviously shocked at the statement. His shock quickly turns to anger. Declan: How many Zapdos are there in the world? Leaf: Well, one, but- Declan: How many people have defeated Zapdos in battle? Leaf: Well, just Red, but- Declan: Zapdos exerts Pressure! Leaf: Well, yeah, but so do some non-legendary pokemon! We’ve discovered Absol, Weavile, Spiritomb, even a Wailord- Declan: But Zapdos has a stone at Spear Pillar, correct? Leaf: Yeah, I guess, but… nevermind. I just don’t see how praying to it helps. It still bring death wherever it flies. Declan: You think I don’t know that? Obviously people die, Leaf. That’s why we had so many drills growing up. But… part of me thinks that, maybe if I can appease to it, I-I’ll be safe. And it’s worked so far. I don’t plan on stopping. You don’t have to agree with it, but I ask that you respect it. Leaf, quietly: Oh. Declan walks past her, followed by his pokemon. Squirtle makes a bit of a face as he passes her, making her frown. The sun is higher in the sky, maybe eleven in the morning. Declan is fully dressed, wearing a black shirt with the word “INSTINCT” in yellow, and white shorts. His backpack is on, and Pikachu is on his shoulder. Leaf and Ivysaur stand across from them. Leaf: So you’re really leaving, huh? Declan: Yep. I want to reach the fisher colony by sundown. And get some training in, especially with Bulbasaur. There’s an awkward silence. Declan: Thank you, by the way. I appreciate the help. Leaf: Of course. It was the least I could do. Declan: Right. I’ll, uh, see you around. Leaf: Oh! Yeah, uh, of course. Declan: Love you. Leaf: Love you too. Leaf grows sadder as Declan turns and walks away. Declan is walking with all of his pokemon, who play at his feet. He seems to have lightened up a bit, but he’s still not smiling fully. Declan: Alright guys, we’ll stop here for lunch. After that we’ll start on training. I have some ideas after our battle with Leaf. His pokemon nod as he sits on the side of the path, distributing food. Later, Declan seems to be back to normal. He’s grinning broadly as Squirtle Ice Beams a Raticate, who scurries away in defeat. Declan: Good job, Squirtle! Ice Beam gets better every day! Should be a good secret weapon once we get to Celadon. Squirtle cheers, satisfied with its good job. Declan: Alright, next I think we should work on your shell slidin- He’s interrupted by Bulbasaur, who adamantly headbutts his leg. Declan: Whoa girl, what is it? Bulbasaur: Bulba! Bulbasaur! Declan: You want to train now? Bulbasaur nods eagerly. Declan: You can train with Pikachu or Charmander, but I’m training with Squirtle now. Bulbasaur, not satisfied with this, growls and runs off, leaving a worried Declan. Declan: Not again. Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur ignores him and continues to run, disappearing into shrubbery. Declan: Pikachu, help me find her! Pikachu nods and starts sniffing as Declan returns Charmander and Squirtle. Declan and Pikachu run off. Declan and Pikachu are walking up a slope, trees and boulders obscuring their vision. They look lost and devoid of hope when they hear a loud hiss. Declan: Uh oh. Pikachu: Chu. They both run to the source of the noise, and find Bulbasaur facing off against two Ekans. Declan quickly scans them with his pokedex. Pokedex: '''Ekans, the snake pokemon. Ekans have rattles at the ends of their tails which they use to intimidate predators. Their use in organized crime years ago has led to a drastic population increase.' Declan: Interesting. Bulbasaur dodges an Acid and strikes one of the Ekans with Take Down, taking recoil damage. This gives the other Ekans the opportunity to Bite Bulbasaur. Upon receiving damage, Bulbasaur begins to glow with a green aura. Her pupils dilate and her lets out a menacing screech. Declan: What- Bulbasaur unleashes a powerful Magical Leaf that defeats the two Ekans swiftly before running away. Pokedex: Overgrow, an ability exclusive to grass-type pokemon. Overgrow strengthens the power of grass-type moves when a pokemon’s health is low. Studies have observed that in some cases, it can cause drastic mood swings. Declan: Great, cool, fine. Of fucking course. Pikachu looks taken aback by Declan’s language. Declan shrugs. Declan: Whatever, I’m used to it by now. Let’s go. He walks begrudgingly towards where Bulbasaur ran to, which happens to be the way they came. Pikachu frowns but follows. Declan and Pikachu stumble upon Bulbasaur lashing at a Pidgeotto with Vine Whip, still glowing with green aura. The Pidgeotto looks tired, and is finally knocked out of the sky with a Magical Leaf. Bulbasaur roars and runs again. Declan: Alright, this stops here. Squirtle, Ice Beam! Declan throws Squirtle’s pokeball, and the turtle pokemon comes out unleashing a powerful Ice Beam, which misses Bulbasaur but does succeed in stopping her. Bulbasaur turns around and snarls. Declan: Ice Beam! Bulbasaur attempts to fire another attack but is hit dead-on with Ice Beam, which defeats her. Declan silently walks up to her and kneels down. He pulls a bottle of medicine from his bag and sprays her with it. Slowly, Bulbasaur starts to come to. Declan sits down and gingerly sets her in his lap. She groans weakly. Declan: It’s okay, girl. You’re okay. Bulbasaur whimpers quietly. Declan: Don’t worry, Bulbasaur. I’m here- Uh, we’re here. (He releases Charmander) We’re here and we love you. Bulbasaur, worried: Bulba.. Saur? Declan: Forget about earlier. Mistakes don’t matter. We just keep moving forward. We can find someone to help in Saffron or Celadon. And until then, I won’t ever push you as hard. You’ll never have to get there again. Charmander cautiously pats Bulbasaur’s head, making her purr. Declan’s eyes start to tear up. Declan: One day we’ll forget this ever happened because we love each other too much. Charmander and Squirtle tilt their heads in curiosity. Declan: One day we’ll outgrow fighting. Bulbasaur, sensing a change in Declan’s mood, carefully gets off of his lap. Declan stands up. Declan: I need to call L- Uh, someone. I need to call someone. You four walk ahead. I’ll catch up when I’m done. His pokemon look at each other, concerned for Declan, but continue to walk on the path towards the Fisher Colony. Declan, tears running down his face, stays behind, his phone in hand. Meanwhile… It’s a sunny day in Viridian City. Standing in front of the gym are two men- Giovanni, the gym leader, and Markus, his second-in-command. Markus: I’ll be back shortly, sir. Silph Co. is looking for someone to test out their technology and I volunteered. I’ll be in Saffron City for a few weeks, and then head to Lavender Town. I plan to stay there a week at most. Giovanni: Lavender Town? Markus: I want to catch another ghost-type. I hope Silph Co.’s tech can allow me to do so. Giovanni: You wish to expand your ownership of every type except ground, don’t you? (He laughs) Markus, grumbling: I have Vibrava. Giovanni: And you’ve yet to use it in battle since you first joined. I don’t know how you convinced me to let you be my right-hand man. (He laughs again) Markus, half smiling: I guess you could say my pokemon are… powerfully persuasive. Giovanni: Something like that. Well, Markus, we excitedly wait for your return. Elise will serve as my second-in-command until you get back. Markus, nodding: Thank you, sir. See you soon. He steps into a taxi and drives away, leaving a smiling Giovanni. Major Events * The season is officially revealed to be summer * Zapdos is revealed to be close to Kanto * Declan parts with Leaf * Declan's Bulbasaur is revealed to have the ability Overgrow, and learns Magical Leaf Characters * Declan Perez * Leaf Green (TBTB) * Giovanni * Markus Pokemon * Spearow (Several) * Pikachu (Declan's) * Squirtle (Declan's) * Bulbasaur (Declan's) * Charmander (Declan's) * Ivysaur (Leaf's) * Ekans (x2) * Pidgeotto Trivia * This episode is the first time religion of any kind is discussed. It is revealed that Declan is religious while Leaf is less so ** This was meant to add depth and realism, as well as establish the importance of Legendary Pokemon * The idea of "Pressure" coming from a Legendary Pokemon is based off the ability from the games. Leaf's mention of other pokemon having pressure is a reference to this as well. * Declan's conflict with Bulbasaur (along with its resolution) were intended to remind him of his earlier conflict with Leaf. * The entire episode was centered around growth, which was also shown in the strengthening of Squirtle's Ice Beam. * Declan's Bulbasaur learning Magical Leaf could've been a result of it's training with Leaf's Ivysaur. * The Markus present in this episode is the same Markus from Taken By Storm. * Declan's outfit, a black shirt with "INSTINCT" written on it in yellow, is a reference to Team Instinct, a group in Pokemon Go which celebrates Zapdos. * Giovanni's assistant being named Elise is a reference to Elise from Pokémon Tales, who takes over the Viridian Gym. Category:Episodes Category:To Be The Best Category:OmniDragon